


To Earthquakes, Lovers, and Newfound Friends

by Shanieomaniac



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: A World Without Coronavirus, Based on a Dream, Dream Logic, Established Relationship, M/M, Natural Disasters, Semi-Kayfabe Compliant, Zowens - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26022406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanieomaniac/pseuds/Shanieomaniac
Summary: When a 30-something computer artist finds herself blinded and burned after an earthquake, she must find her way to safety before time runs out. Luckily for her, she runs into Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn who, much to her surprise, are in SoCal on a post-Wrestlemania retreat together. Now the three of them must traverse the broken landscape surviving tremors, fires, and frankly... each other.Part of the "Adventures in Dreamland" line of stories
Relationships: Kevin Owens | Kevin Steen/Sami Zayn | El Generico
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Black Out and Flame On

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Shanie here, this is my long-awaited Zowens fic!
> 
> Some quick notes before we begin:
> 
> This story is based on a dream I had back in May of 2020. It takes place in a world where Coronavirus never happened, but the WWE storylines and events progressed the same. Because of this, certain things must be taken into consideration. First of all, medical and scientific logic doesn't necessarily apply here. It's a dream, it uses dream logic. Second, I'm aware that the presence of an OC makes this fic less than desirable, but I usually dream in first person so take it as it is. Finally, this is my first ever Sami/Kevin story so if I don't have them quite right, forgive me. I'm new to this ship, please be kind.
> 
> And with that, on with the story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie Kaminski is a thirty-six year old computer artist living with her two roommates in Southern California. It's a bright, sunny spring afternoon - just the sort of day where nothing can go wrong.
> 
> So of course everything is going to go completely balls up.

The day had started so well.

The weather was fair, only two degrees off perfect. But then, it was April in Southern California, so that was to be expected. The skies were free of clouds and it wasn’t expected to rain until later that week, leaving Sunday to live up to its name as a sunny day.

Being a weekend, most people were out and about enjoying their day off, as they usually did. However, on this bright afternoon, Sadie Kaminski and her roommate Lisa Connelly were enjoying a movie in the cozy home they shared with another woman, Christina Mitchell.

At least, “roommate” was how Lisa and Christina saw the arrangement.

Sadie, however, had harbored a secret crush on Lisa almost since Lisa moved in. Lisa was a Jersey Girl at heart but had come to SoCal about a year ago to get a fresh start. Unfortunately for Sadie, Lisa appeared to be as straight as they came, albeit single. Christina, on the other hand, had a steady boyfriend and on that day, she was at his house for a visit. If Sadie had to guess, Christina was probably doing his laundry.

Sadie and Lisa, meanwhile, had taken to setting up a weekend ritual of watching cheesy movies. Christina wasn’t the type for cheese, so the pair always had to do it when she wasn’t home. This week’s viewing was the early Jim Carrey film “Once Bitten”, and boy was it a doozy.

Lisa had made sure to draw the blackout curtains closed before viewing to give the illusion of a home theater in their living room. They had also made a few bags of microwave popcorn and procured 2-liters of store-brand soda to go along with the show. Obviously, a 43in flat screen with stereo sound wasn’t a home theater system, but it’s what they could afford, and there was always a good time to be had.

They laughed, they groaned, they were thoroughly cheesed out.

When the end credits rolled, Lisa got up to open the curtains.

“Wow,” Sadie said, casually pulling up Facebook on her cell phone. “That was... remarkably restrained for a Jim Carrey flick.”

Lisa replied, “Well, I don’t think he had quite found his energy yet. I mean look at how young he was!”

“True.”

As Lisa pulled back the curtains, light flooded into the room causing Sadie to recoil at the sun.

“Sssss! Evil day moon!” she hissed, holding up her phone to block the brightness.

Lisa laughed.

“You are too goth for your own good!” she joked.

Sadie knew she was probably right.

Most people grew out of their goth phase as they got older but Sadie never had. Instead, somewhere along the way she had doubled down to the point of having a nearly monochrome wardrobe and one of her favorite pieces being a fitted tee that read “I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color”. Working as a computer artist, Sadie was particularly grateful that weird was pretty much the norm among her colleagues. At that moment she was wearing a black mesh shirt under a black sports bra, with black Tripp pants and a pair of lace-up combat boots. Her nails were also black, adding to the ensemble, and the only reason her eyes and lips weren’t black or her naturally pale skin smothered in makeup was she hadn’t made plans to go out for the day. However, her hair that day was Manic Panic Plum Passion purple, freshly colored from a that Thursday. Most people would agree it was far too much effort for a lounge day, and while she was fond of her current attire and look, she agreed that maybe she was going a bit too hard for someone her age. But she would never admit it to anyone who questioned her.

“Honestly, Sadie,” Lisa continued, “I don’t know why you wear all that when you aren’t going anywhere. Especially those boots. Those have to be sweaty.”

Sadie shook her head. “I like the sensation of having my ankles hugged,” she responded. “Besides, you never know what’s going to happen that you have to leave the house in a hurry. There might be an earthquake or a fire or-”

Just then, as though summoned by her very words, a low rumble began to sound, and the floor started shaking.

Lisa looked around in a panic.

“Dammit Sadie, WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?” She cried.

Sadie wasn’t as worried as Lisa was. She had grown up in California, so a tremor didn’t scare her like it did Lisa.

But this was no tremor. The shaking and roar grew increasingly violent until even Sadie was scared and got to her feet to take cover. She heard Lisa scream. And then, she felt herself falling as the floor gave out beneath her.

Everything turned to black.

____________________

  
When Sadie woke up, the first thing she noticed was the darkness.

It confused her because she was certain that it had been mid-afternoon. The signature sounds of car alarms reached her ears and she realized she was lying in a pile of rubble.

She rubbed her eyes, but nothing happened. Everything was still dark.

Then she began to panic.

Memory flooded back of the earthquake and falling through the floor and she realized she must have fallen into the basement.

Instinct began to set in. For a moment, she thought about needing to turn the gas off. But then, still in darkness, she remembered that her home had no gas hookups. Everything was electric. Good thing too, because it was unlikely that Lisa would have thought to turn the gas off.

_Lisa. Crap, Lisa!_ Sadie thought, alarmed.

She started shouting for her roommate.

“Lisa!” she cried out, “LISA WHERE ARE YOU?!”

No response.

She did a quick self-check and felt herself down. Nothing appeared to be broken. Well, except for her eyes. She rubbed at her face again with her left arm and found there was moisture on her face. She sniffed her sleeve.

Gasoline. She had gotten gasoline in her eyes.

It was a bit of a relief for her, as she was fairly certain her blindness wouldn’t be permanent. Just a bit of a chemical burn, nothing major. But then she smelled something else – the strong, unmistakable odor of smoke. How she hadn’t smelled it immediately she didn’t know; perhaps she’d hit her head when she fell. Regardless, there was something on fire, and she knew she needed to escape the ruined basement.

“Fuck, I gotta get out of here,” she mumbled to herself.

She felt around and started to crawl. Eventually, she saw a light source shining through the darkness and started heading for it. She reached out for the light... and felt her arm promptly catch fire where she had wiped the gasoline off her face.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!” She screamed. She started waving her arm for several moments before her common sense kicked in.

_Stop, Drop, and Roll!_ her brain told her. So, she did; And she didn’t get more than half a roll in before she crashed into another pile of rubble. Sadie tried to roll back and forth, but it was no use. There was just too much debris around to put the fire out. She would have to smother the flames in another manner.

With her left arm still ablaze, and the flames spreading upwards, she felt around with her other arm for a blanket or a tarp. In her burning agony, she remembered that they had a table in the basement covered with a heavy tarp, and she tried to visualize where she and it could be. It took a second or two, but she found it and smothered the flames. Once the fire was out, she gently felt the wound using her unburned right hand.

The damage had been done. There was no pain, just a tingling numbness, and the skin felt like it had been burned badly on her entire left arm from her fingertips to about three inches below her shoulder. She found herself regretting wearing the mesh top that day, as it had offered no protection against the flames and had instead melted into her charred flesh. She wasn’t a doctor, but she knew she was in trouble. It was a severe burn, the type that lost fluids and got infected rapidly. She’d have to get medical attention quickly if she wanted to avoid complications.

Now with a new, more pressing need to escape, she tried to visualize the basement once more to sort out how to escape.

_Ok,_ she thought silently, _the gas can was on the workbench. And the workbench was to the left of the staircase, with the covered table underneath. Which means..._

She did a 180 and felt her way forward, finding the staircase.

“Huzzah!” she said, happy that something went in her favor.

Getting to her feet, she used the railing to guide herself up the stairs. Luckily, they were still intact, and she soon found herself upstairs near the entrance. Once upstairs, light from the front windows played into her eyes. She was certain her eyes would heal, she just had to get help for her burn. She called out a few more times for her roommate but didn’t hear a sound. Lisa had either panicked and fled, or... well the alternative was too terrible to consider. So, Sadie decided to have faith and turned her attention towards her own wellbeing.

_Lisa’s fine,_ she told herself, _worry about yourself._

She mentally mapped the entryway to her house. The front door was situated directly to the left of the basement door, meaning that she didn’t have to worry about falling through any holes in the floor a second time, thankfully. Putting her good arm forward, she turned right and headed outside. She did manage to remember the steps of the porch and not fall. However, once on the path in front, she was unable to see the cracked sidewalk, and tripped, landing on her knees.

"BALLS!” she cried out again. She wasn’t hurt, but she was going to have to find some sort of stick to walk with if she wanted to get around.

She picked herself back up and started gingerly heading down the block. Shuffling her feet forward with her arms outstretched, she began to move forward. It was slow going but she was moving,

The grey fog that composed her field of vision didn’t change, but she could hear. And she could smell. Oh boy, could she smell. Her left arm was particularly odiferous. Wrinkling her nose, she gently ran her good fingers over the wound. It was moist and rough, with a fair amount of tissue damage, and despite her blindness she could tell it was third degree.

_I need to get this taken care of ASAP,_ she thought to herself. _Shit like this can be lethal._

She ran her fingers over it one final time.

_Maybe I should cover it?_ she wondered. It seemed like a good idea but then she had no sterile bandages or gauze. And she doubted a partially melted mesh shirt would fit the bill. Maybe she could look up first aid notes online.

She felt in her pockets for her phone. No luck.

She thought back to the events before the earthquake and remembered she’d been playing on her phone after the movie. When she crashed and burned, her phone must have gotten caught in the rubble. Suddenly, it occurred to her she wouldn’t have been able to see the screen even if she had it.

Sadie rolled her useless eyes.

“Well,” she said aloud, “I’m gonna have to adapt fast if I want to survive.”

She wiggled her right hand in front of her face. She could see a bit of shadow shifting in the fog, but it was far from anything resembling eyesight.

Yep. Adapt. That was the key.

Adapt.


	2. Help For The Hopelessly Devoted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Battered and burned, Sadie is getting nowhere quickly. But when she stumbles upon a certain pair of WWE Superstars, she might just get the help she needs to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I promised Zowens, here's the Zowens. Again, I apologize if they're OOC, this entire story was spawned by my unconscious mind and, while I tried to edit it the best I could, there's only so much I can do with the limited knowledge I possess of them. 
> 
> I just hope it's suitable to all your likings.

Sadie had been shuffling along for what felt like hours. In reality it was likely closer to twenty or thirty minutes and with her progress as slow as it was, she had made it a block at best. Probably a block and a half as her house was at one end of a block and she had only passed over one pair of those bumpy tile panels that they put at intersections for, well, blind people. 

Sadie always hated those things before. That day, she’d gained a newfound appreciation for them. 

She’d heard voices and sirens, along with the occasional boom or rumble, but nobody had even come near enough to check on her. So when she heard a man’s voice calling out, along with the noise of debris crashing against the sidewalk she didn’t expect that person to help her any more than the others. 

“Kevin! Dammit Kevin, where are you??” The man hollered. 

Sadie stopped. The voice sounded familiar; she knew it from somewhere. The voice kept shouting. 

“Kevin! Kevin, please say something! Anything! I swear if you went and died on me…” 

There was fear and panic in the voice. 

“Please, Luv, I- come on!! You’re scaring me here, tell me where you are!” 

And a good helping of love. Actually, that didn’t quite cover it. The man’s voice was soaked with so much anguish and emotion that it was dripping, then lightly dusted with an ineffectual attempt to keep it together. It was hard to listen to. 

Sadie racked her brain to think of who she knew that loved a Kevin; Someone who was currently frantically digging through a building to find him. It was a man’s voice, rugged and a bit husky, but who could it be? Could it be someone famous? 

What famous guy did she know that was in love with “Kevin”. 

Oh. _OH_.

With her good arm in front of her, she shuffled in the direction of the sound. 

“Sami?” she asked, “Sami Zayn?” 

No response. 

“Sami Zayn is that you?” she called out. 

“Not now, busy,” she heard him grumble, before going back to digging. 

Well, she had gotten his identity correct. 

It should be noted that Sadie was a proud member of the WWE Universe. She watched the shows and PPVs regularly and, while neither Sami Zayn nor Kevin Owens were her favorites (that honor went to current champion Drew McIntyre), she thought their friendship was remarkable and had always suspected there was more there than most realized. Actually, “suspected” was the wrong word. Their love was so obvious it was painful. It didn’t matter if they were fighting together or each other, there was no denying the chemistry. It was one of a kind and that kind of bond was genuinely a life goal for her – one she had never been given the chance to experience yet. 

She heard Sami continue shouting but couldn’t quite tell where the voice was coming from. It was nearby but sounded up ahead and to the right. 

“Don’t worry, Kevin,” she heard him say, “I’ll find you.” 

Sadie’s heart fell. She knew that the block above hers was mostly vacation homes and airbnbs. KO must be trapped inside one. 

Keeping her arm ahead and her feet moving carefully and hoping that she didn’t get brained by a flying cinder block, she also headed to the right of the sidewalk. 

As she did, she smelled the telltale odor of natural gas. 

_Fuck._

She quickened her pace and crawled into the wreckage of the home. It was probably a bad idea, but she would hate for anything to happen to either of them. Although, in all fairness, it was far more likely she would just get blown up with both of them before her blind ass found Owens. 

Sami called over to her. 

“What- What are you doing?” he asked. 

“Helping you look,” she replied. 

She stuck her arm into the various crevices and holes she felt around her. There were sharp edges and bits of metal that got caught, scratching her arm and hand, but then she felt something different; Something soft, with a sticky moisture clinging to it, possibly blood? 

Sadie felt a bit more, and her fingers identified damp skin, then a bit of coarse hair, like a beard. 

“I think I found him!” she called out. 

She heard Sami climb over, and she moved out of the way so he could dig. The sounds of wood and building being tossed aside hit her ears, as well as Sami’s heavy, nervous breathing. 

“Kevin!” he shouted. 

She heard a low moan. 

“Wha-” 

The smell of natural gas was getting stronger. 

“Um, Mr. Zayn? I’d hurry it up, I smell gas” she told him. 

“You know, you could help,” he snapped back. 

Sadie scrunched her nose. Hadn’t she literally just helped? 

“Sa- Sami?” She heard Kevin groan, waking up. 

“Hey, Kev,” Sami said gently. “Come on, let's get you out of here.” 

Sadie felt the pile shift as Sami lifted Kevin from the rubble. She heard them head away, and she started to do so herself. However, she still couldn’t see anything but shadows and light, and her boot got caught in a hole sending her into the debris.   
  
Sami called out from ahead of her, “Come on, kid, hurry up!” 

She tried to pull her foot clear, but it was stuck. Feeling around her ankle, she tried to free herself, but not being able to see what was blocking her was making it very difficult. 

“Some help here, maybe?” she asked frantically. 

Footsteps approached and she felt her foot freed. She then scurried the best she could away from the house. Once they had all made it clear of the area, past the point where the gas odor was present, they all sat on the ground to rest. 

She heard Sami speaking quietly to Kevin. 

“Kevin, man, you all right?” he said softly, “Shit, you’re hurt. Here, let me get a look at that cut.” 

“I’m fine Sami. Look, I’m good now, OK?” He replied gruffly. 

“You sure? You’re bleeding. Here let me-” 

“Will you stop mothering me, I’m _fine_.” 

His voice was firm, yet tender. Sadie knew Kevin Owens was fiercely independent and likely hated to be doted upon, but that wasn’t about to stop Sami from trying. Sami huffed a bit. 

“I’m just concerned is all. I’m allowed,” he replied. 

Kevin was getting frustrated. 

“I’m good, Sami. It’s just a bump on the head and a little blood. I've had worse. I’d be more concerned for her,” Kevin replied, referencing Sadie. 

“Nah, she’s ok,” Sami remarked, unconcerned. 

Sadie decided she should probably say something. 

“I’m really not,” she remarked. 

Sami’s voice turned back in her direction. 

“Why, what’s wrong with… motherfucker! What did you do to your arm?!” 

He’d finally noticed her burn. Sadie smiled nervously. “Yeah, I got a bit, uh, torched.” 

Just then, she heard an explosion behind them. The gas had finally ignited. She turned her head towards the sound, then turned back to the men. 

“Kinda like that,” she said. 

“Sami, we need to get her medical attention,” Kevin said 

Sami was silent. 

Kevin snapped his fingers at Zayn. 

“Sami! Hello, Sami,” he said. 

Still nothing. Sadie heard skin meet skull 

*Thwap* “Hey, dipshit! Stop staring at the fire and focus!” Kevin yelled. 

“Oh. Sorry,” Sami replied, finally coming around. “Sorry. Wait, did you just call me a dipshit?” 

Kevin chuckled a bit. “Had to get your attention somehow. Come on, we need to get your new friend to the hospital.” 

“Right. I’m fine to move, what about you?” She heard Sami reply. 

Sadie sat there on the ground, fully expecting Kevin to reply. 

He didn’t. 

“I said,” repeated Sami, “What about you? Did you not hear me?” 

Sadie sighed. “Heard you, yes. Saw you...” She trailed off. 

“Saw me what?” Sami asked. 

She heard a quiet gasp. 

“Sami,” Kevin said, “Her eyes...” 

For a moment, the bright fog in front of Sadie’s eyes wavered, and she felt a tiny whiff of air hit her face. Sami, or at least she suspected it was Sami, was waving his hand in front of her face. 

“You can’t see me...” Sami said, more to himself than Sadie. 

Sadie smirked. She couldn’t resist the joke. “No, Cena, I can’t.” 

She heard Kevin chuckle. Sami however seemed alarmed. 

“Wait, you’re blind? As in, no vision? And you still found Kevin?” 

Sadie sighed. “I can see some amount of light and shadow. I don’t think it’s permanent, I just got splashed with some stuff. And as for how I found your friend, I guess my other senses are catching up rather quickly. I stuck my hand in a hole and I felt flesh and blood. Simple as that. Good thing too, cuz-” 

Sadie lifted her still numb, burnt arm and waved it a bit. The idea of Kevin Owens turning into the same crispy dog meat her arm now resembled wasn’t a pleasant one, so she decided not to verbalize it. As it was, she was concerned as to how she was going to survive her own injury but figured that with the two superstars helping her, she stood a far better chance – at least she hoped they’d help her. 

“Ugh,” Kevin said with disgust after she put her arm down. “Just- don’t do that.” 

“Eh,” Sadie replied. “It doesn’t hurt.” 

“No, but it looks horrible and smells awful,” he replied. “A burn like that could kill you. We need to get you help. Sami, give me a hand with... um...” 

Kevin paused. As he did, Sadie realized she had never told either of them her name. 

She imagined the look they must have been sharing. 

Sami spoke up first. 

“Sorry, but I don’t actually know you. You seem nice, but a name would help us out. I’m Sami, this is Kevin. What's your name, kid?” 

“Name's Sadie. Sadie Kaminski. I know who you two are, and I’m pretty sure I’m older than you, Sami.” 

“Please,” Sami replied. “You cannot be older than me. What are you, 24, 25?” 

“Huh, I wish. I was born in ‘84.” 

“When in ‘84?” 

“February 6th.” 

“So, you’re five months older than me. You don’t look it though. Not dressed like that anyway. 36? Dressed like that? It’s embarrassing.” 

“Hey!” Sadie complained, “You don’t criticize my clothes, I won’t criticize that stuff you call dancing.” 

“My dancing is delightful,” Sami insisted snidely. 

Sadie smiled. “Yes. Yes, it is. Can we get moving?” 

“Right,” she heard Kevin say. She felt a strong hand take her good wrist and guide her to her feet. 

Once on her feet, Kevin ducked under her right arm to guide her. 

“You ok, Sadie?” he asked. 

“For now,” she answered. 

“Good. Sami, lead the way.” 

“Of course,” Sami replied. She felt an abrupt change in Kevin’s weight as though he was pulled forward, followed promptly by the sound of a kiss. 

Kevin sounded exasperated. “Sami...” 

“We both survive this and there’s more where that came from,” the redhead slyly remarked. 

“No, but... her.” 

“Eh, don’t worry. She can’t see us.” 

“No,” Sadie said with a chuckle, “But I can hear. Don’t worry. You two broke my gaydar years ago. Besides, I would never out a fellow queer.” 

“Hm,” Kevin consented, “fair enough.” 

He started to walk forward before stopping again. 

“Wait,” he asked, “Years? You just met us.” 

Sadie grinned. 

“I said what I said,” she remarked. 

She felt Kevin’s shoulders shift as he let out a loud sigh. She couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling he was facepalming. 

“All right,” he said, defeat in his voice, “let’s go.”


	3. The Guide Dog, The Goth Girl, and The Very Tender Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Assisted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, Sadie is doing her best to navigate the ruined streets of her broken city. But the situation is new to all of them and the going is slow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, people are actually reading this. I'm shocked.
> 
> It just occurred to me that I had originally intended on this story happening in San Fransisco, but I kept making references to SoCal because my idiot ass doesn't know how to use a MAP. Needless to say, I don't live anywhere NEAR California, and anything you see regarding conditions, weather, locations, etc is all done via google. To be honest, I can't even pinpoint if the dream actually occurred in California, I just know it was sunny and there was an earthquake, so I stuck it in California. I did some editing and now it's taking place in LA, not that it's really important, but it is what it is.
> 
> Anyway, if you like it, let me know. Feedback soothes the writer's soul.
> 
> EDIT: It occurred to me that I messed the chapters up. I'm now fixing them. This is indeed chapter 3, with Chapter 4 soon to follow.

It was a struggle. For every twenty steps or so that Sadie made forward, she stumbled at least three times. She was blessed by the support of both Kevin Owen’s shoulder and her combat boots that she stayed mostly upright, but it was still tough to make progress. Some distance into their travels however, her foot caught a crack and she stumbled hard enough to hit the cement.

“Shit!” she cursed.

“Fuck, Sorry,” Kevin apologized, “didn’t see.”

Sami turned around to help Sadie back to her feet.

“You gotta be more careful,” he chided, “keep your eyes focused on her feet.”

Exasperated, Kevin replied “Look, I’ve never been a guide dog before. I’m new at this, ok?”

It was clear that Kevin was trying his best, but Sami was once again in full-on mother mode, this time with his attention turned at Sadie. From the sidewalk, Sadie struggled with her good arm to get back to her feet, and she felt Sami’s arms wrap around her waist from behind and help her up. He steadied her for a bit until she got her balance back, then let go and moved in front of her once more.

“Sadie still can’t see,” scolded Sami, “you have to see for her. Treat her as gently as you would me and everything will be fine,” he told Kevin.

“And since when have I ever treated you gently?”

Sami’s voice lowered. “Oh, I can think of a few times. Last night, for example...”

At that moment, Sadie wished she could see, as she had a feeling the looks on both Sami’s and Kevin’s faces were priceless. Hell, she could practically hear the eyebrow wiggle in Sami’s tone.

Kevin grunted slightly. “Jesus, what is up with you today, man? We had agreed on discretion; This is not discretion.”

“Nope,” Sami chirped, “Discretion was for before you nearly died in a collapsed building. You’d feel the same way if it’d been me.”

“I have never, and would never be a gooey, doe-eyed idiot like you’re being right now. It’s awful Sami, shut it down.”

“Mmm, Never.”

Sadie heard the men share another kiss and made her heart happy. Her thoughts turned to her roommate Lisa and how she wished she’d gotten the chance to tell Lisa how she felt. Now, with both their fates uncertain, she realized she might never get the chance to act on her crush.

_That settles it,_ Sadie thought to herself, _If I survive this and am reunited with my housemates, I’m coming clean. Life’s too short for secret crushes._

Sadie’s thoughts were interrupted by Kevin and Sami talking about her.

“Maybe we should get Sadie a walking stick?” Kevin asked.

Sami returned with “Ok, and how would she use it and hold onto you? She’s only got one usable arm. Doesn’t seem very effective, in my opinion.”

“Oh. Well, we should give her something, so she doesn’t fall.”

“That’s what you’re there for, Luv.”

“Yeah, well maybe you should be holding her up for a bit. You’re supposed to be the careful one, why don’t you -”

Sadie decided to interrupt.

“Guys, if I’m a burden, just leave me. I’m sure someone will come along and pick me up.”

She heard Kevin sigh. He likely hadn’t meant his comments to come off like that. She felt a hand on her good shoulder.

“Kid, we’re gonna get you through this,” Sami told her, as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Let me see that arm.”

She held out her injured arm, and he began to examine it.

“Does this hurt?” Sami asked.

“Does what hurt?” replied Sadie. She realized Sami must have been touching the burn.

Kevin commented, obviously annoyed. “It’s a third-degree burn, dumbass. The nerve endings are dead. She’s not feeling shit from that arm.”

Sadie nodded. “What he said... although minus the dumbass part.”

Sami let out a long breath before responding. “Right. Maybe we should wrap it. Can you even wrap a burn this bad? I’m not sure.”

Sadie shook her head. “I don’t think. Not unless you have sterile bandages or clean linen.”

Trying to be helpful, Kevin remarked “Well we can always look it up.”

Sami sassed back, “Sure, Kev. Why don’t you get your phone out and google ‘Third-degree burn care’?”

There was a pause before Kevin answered.

“Sami, my phone was in the house,” he told the redhead.

“As was mine. Maybe we should ask goth girl here. Sadie, do you have your phone?”

“Nope,” she replied, ignoring the attitude in the superstar’s voice, “it crashed and burned with me in the basement. Emphasis on the burn. Besides, in a disaster like this, the circuits would be jammed. If there was any service available, it’d be spotty at best. Not that it matters; I won’t have to worry about a phone anymore if we can’t get help for this arm of mine – assuming we even can. Earthquake this big? There’s bound to be a ton of casualties. There’s probably a triage station set up somewhere, we just half to find it before it’s too late.”

The meaning of those last two words wrenched Sadie in the gut. “Too late.” What if it was too late already?

_Nah,_ she thought to herself. _I feel fine, don’t I? My arm doesn’t hurt and I’m not feeling particularly ill... wait, is that a good sign or a bad sign?_

The notion of dying from her wound disturbed the woman and she let out a long breath. As she did the shadow in front of her shifted and she felt a hand take her own.

“You’re gonna be ok,” Sami said softly, the snippiness suddenly removed from his voice. “We just have to find you some help. I’m sure you’ll be playing video games again in no time. You like video games, right? Big UpUpDownDown fan I bet. Hang in there. We’ll get you a medic and they’ll patch you up. You can trust us, we’re good under pressure. Right, Luv?”

Kevin responded with a non-committal grunt. But Sadie wasn’t listening to him. She was struck by the tonal shift in Sami’s voice. His usual hyperactive sass fell away for a moment and was replaced with something tender and gentle. He was still rambling, but there was a caring sweetness to it, and the edges were laced with kindness. She wondered what she had done to deserve that kindness, but even Sami himself had admitted to being a “tender lover” so maybe he was just tender with everyone he liked. Then again, she had never taken him to be the sort to trust quickly. Maybe there was more to him wanting to help her then just human decency.

But his touch. Oh, his touch. The way his thumb was running over her knuckle. It was... well it wasn’t something she was prepared for from a stranger. What on earth was running through Sami’s mind that he would show that much affection? She certainly hadn’t earned this response. This warmth, this love – as far as Sadie was concerned, it should be reserved for KO alone. Not some random fan like her.

“Sadie, you ok?” Sami asked again, breaking Sadie’s trance once more.

Sadie nodded. She felt fine, except for a nagging chill she couldn’t shake.

“I’m fine, Sami. Just a bit cold. ‘S probably just the wind.”

Sami was silent for a moment before Kevin spoke up.

“Sadie, there's no wind. And it’s at least 70 degrees out here.”

Sadie shrugged. “Well, that’s warm for you maybe, you guys are from Canada. It’s a bit chilly for me, I live here year-round. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just get me to an aid station, and they can clean my arm up. That reminds me. What were you two doing in California right now anyway?”

She heard Sami sputter for a bit. “Uhhh... it’s kinda... well we... um...”

Kevin spoke over him.

“Work trip. WWE stuff. There’s, uh, an event nearby and we just got here early is all. Can’t give details though, but it’s important.”

“Right, what he said,” Sami affirmed.

Sadie nodded slowly. It didn’t take amplified hearing to read the hesitation in both of their voices. They were covering for something, but she didn’t know what. Whatever it was, neither one of them would be explaining their trip any time soon; Certainly not Kevin, anyway. Sami was another story. Sadie could tell that Zayn wore his heart on his sleeve and if asked, he would come clean despite himself. So, Sadie decided she better not ask him. Instead, she just nodded at the two lovers.

“Right,” she said, “I think we should probably get going. I’m sure there’s-”

Just then, she felt the ground begin to shake under her once more.

“Sami...” Kevin’s voice pitched up in fear.

Sadie crouched down to steady herself, saying “Guys, it’s just an aftershock. It’s fine. Just get down low and you’ll be ok. There’s nothing overhead, right?”

“No,” Sami replied shakily.

“Then we’re fine,” Sadie told them. Then, just as quickly as the rumbling began, it stopped.

Sadie stood back up.

“Wow, it really is you fella’s first shaker, isn’t it?”

Sami let out a nervous “Yep.”

“First and hopefully last,” Kevin grumbled. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

She felt KO duck under her arm once more.

“Right,” She told him. “You drive.”

“Great,” Sami said, before adding, “Oh, and Sadie, hun? Tell us if you get any colder. It could be a bad sign and we wouldn’t want you taking a turn for the worse on us.”

If Sadie had heard to the end of his remark, she might have been concerned. Instead, she had only processed as far as “hun” and stopped.

_He called me ‘hun’..._ she wondered silently. _He really must like me._


	4. Disaster Husbands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kevin goes to look for a way to safety, Sami opens up to Sadie about the nature of his and Kevin's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to possible... complications in my current status, I am rushing these to post. They are unbetaed and unproofread so if there are grammatical and structure errors, sorry. It can't be helped. Also, I noticed that I had messed up the chapters earlier. This is the proper Chapter 4.
> 
> Also, sorry if Sami gets a bit OOC here. The hopeless romantic in me came out to play here.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

There was just so much damn smoke.

Naturally, she couldn’t see it. But her other senses had gotten better rapidly, and the smell was driving her bonkers. She couldn’t even discern where it was coming from at that point, everything she was breathing was thick and acrid and it was making her dizzy.

She hoped it was the smoke anyway.

Regardless, between the obvious fires and her blindness, Sadie felt helpless. Kevin was only speaking out to warn Sadie of dangers and to be her eyes while Sami Zayn had been shifting between spells of quiet rambling and total silence. At one point he began to tell a story about his and Kevin’s time in PWG, only to trail off mid-sentence and never finish. At another point, he began to list off some of the injuries that he’d experienced over the years before concluding that none of them mattered  compared to a life-threatening burn like Sadie had. Regardless of what he went on about, neither Sadie nor Kevin replied. He was nervous, and Sadie figured he was just talking because it helped calm him down. Either way, they were both having issues processing the situation. Whatever the landscape was that surrounded them had to be awful.

As Kevin guided her around a corner, she heard Sami swear.

“Fuck.”

“What’s up, Sami?” she asked.

“Fire,” Kevin answered for him.

They both got quiet again.

Sadie hung her head. “A bit more detail, guys? Still blind here.”

“Right,” Sami said. “Uh, up ahead, I’d say six blocks or so -”

“More like five,” Kevin interrupted.

“Fine,  _ five _ . Five blocks ahead there’s a bunch of houses on fire. There’re trucks there and everything. ‘Don’t think we can go this way.”

Sadie took this as good news. “Guys, firetrucks mean first responders. They would have radios. They can tell us where the paramedics are stationed. Fire bad. Firetrucks good.”

“Oh,” Sami chirped. “That... that’s remarkably good thinking. Great plan.”

Sadie smirked. “The hair dye enhances my brain output.”

“Really?” Sami laughed. “There you go, Kevin. Dye your hair purple. It’d be a great look on you. How about it?”

“How ‘bout fuck you,” Kevin grumbled.

“How about later?” he replied eagerly. Sadie could hear his eyebrows wagging again.

“Yeah , ” Kevin commented. “Later. Later works.”

Sami replied cheerfully, but not without snark, “Great. I’ll schedule it right between ‘romantic candlelit dinner’ and ‘not dying in a fucking earthquake’.”

KO let out a breath of laughter. “Looking forward to it.”

Sadie looked over at Kevin. She still couldn’t see his face, which was unfortunate as she was certain he was smiling for a change. 

“Anyway,” Owens continued, “someone needs to go talk to those firemen, and I nominate myself.”

“What, NO!” his lover protested. “No way, absolutely not, nope, not happening, uh  uh .”

Sadie honestly wondered if he could fit any more variations of negative in that sentence. Kevin, meanwhile, was having none of Sami’s contention.

“Sami, I am not letting you go down there. You could get hurt.”

“So could you,  L uv,” came the retort. “I’m faster. If things went south, I’d be quicker.”

“I’m bigger and still fast. I'd have a better chance.”

“How is bigger even a factor here?”

“More durable. Plus, I’m better at taking care of myself.”

“Kevin Owens, you have no regard for your own safety. I watched you throw yourself thirty feet off the set last month. I should go.”

“I’m going. Bottom line. Besides, your head hasn’t been on straight since the quake.” 

“Ok, maybe not. But counterpoint, I love you.”

“Counter-counterpoint, I know.”

Sadie had to say something.

“GUYS! Rock paper scissors.”

They both got quiet for a second, before agreeing. Kevin ducked out from under Sadie’s shoulder. She noticed that the shadows were getting more defined. By now the Sami-shadow and Kevin-shadow were noticeably different. She couldn’t make out details but could see full outlines of their forms.

“Ok?” Sami said. “Ready? One, two, three, shoot!”

Sadie heard their fists hit their palms followed by Sami bitching and Kevin chuckling. Kevin must have won.

“You cheated!” Sami argued, whining.

“What- how do you cheat at rock paper scissors?” Kevin retorted.

“I want a redo.”

“Nope. Sit your ass on the grass and stay put. Keep an eye on Sadie ,  I’ll be back.”

Sami grabbed Kevin by the neck and pulled him close, their foreheads meeting.

“Come back,” Sami growled. It wasn’t a request; it was a demand.

“I will. I promise,” Kevin replied, punctuating his oath with a passionate kiss.

Sadie’s heart fluttered again. She watched as Kevin jogged  out of her damaged field of vision , leaving her and Sami behind. She waited for Sami to turn around, but instead, he continued staring after the man who, by this point, Sadie was convinced was his soulmate.

Sadie cleared her throat.

“Um, Sami? Can I sit down.”

“Sure,” he replied, brushing her off with a hand wave behind him.

She sighed.

“Dammit, Zayn, still blind.”

No response.

She reached out to grab his wrist.

“Hey! Sami!”

She still received no response. She tugged urgently at his arm.

“Sami,” she said again, “I can’t see where is safe. You have to be my eyes now. Kevin will be fine. He’s a big boy. He’s got this.”

Sami finally turned around and took a deep breath hanging his head.

“You’re right,” he said softly. “I just...”

Suddenly, Sami’s head popped back up.

“You grabbed my hand!” he said excitedly. “You could see it! Your eyes are coming back.”

“A bit,” she replied. “But I’d like to sit down.”

Sami took her hand and led her off to the side.

“Over here,” he told her and guided her away. Once he stopped, Sadie took a seat. There was grass under her, and feeling the ground nearby, she could tell it was all grass. It must have been one of the dog parks in the area.

As Sami went to have a seat beside her, t he ground started rumbling slightly and she saw  him freeze again.

“Just an aftershock, pal,” she told him. “Sit down. You’ll be fine.”

He relaxed a bit, before sitting down – after the tremor ended.

Sadie chuckled. 

“This really is you guys first earthquake, isn’t it?”

Sami sighed.

“Yeah. I have to say, I’m not enjoying my California getaway right now.”

Smiling, Sadie asked “So that’s what this was? A romantic getaway?”

She immediately regretted it. She wasn’t going to ask. She had made up her mind to give them their privacy. But no taking it back now.

Sami h u mmed. “ Hmm,  It was supposed to be. Well, that was the plan, at least. Now it’s a disaster , l iterally.”

“It’s an adventure,” she told him, her voice dripping with false optimism.

“Kid, I have enough adventure in my life as a WWE Superstar. I don’t need to add near - death experiences to the list for enrichment.”

Ugh. There was that word again.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Sadie said, exasperated.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just... you called me ‘kid’. Again , I told you I’m older than you.”

“Eh, consider it a term of affection.”

Sadie was confused. Did he like her? She had been right about that? It was unexpected , to say the least. Hang on, weren’t pet names usually reserved for lovers? She had feelings for her roommate but didn’t even have a pet name for Lisa.

Despite her better judgment, her mouth started asking questions.

“Wait. Do you... like me?”

Sami burst into laughter, causing the woman to flinch , in surprise.

“ Nonono ...” he insisted, “believe me, you are not my type. Not even close. Also, I’m pretty sure I’m not yours either. I don’t know, unless you’re the batting switch type which, frankly, is none of my business.”

Sadie’s mouth turned upward slightly at that. He had a point there.

“But,” he continued, “I do like you. Honestly. You seem friendly enough. Also...”

His tone changed so quickly with that last word Sadie’s mind came to a full stop. It was several seconds before he continued, his voice hushed and deep.

“I don’t know what I’d do without Kev. He’s... he’s everything to me. When he’s not around, the hottest days in Orlando feel like back home in December. Everything is cold and dark and miserable. It’s unbearable. But on those wonderful, perfect mornings when I wake up and he's there? It’s just... bliss. It's crazy, you know like I’m engulfed in the fires of the sun, blazing against my skin. Just having him nearby makes me feel like I’m on fire and-”

Sami stopped, clearing his throat.

“Sorry, bad choice of words,” he told Sadie.

Sadie half-shrugged.

“ S’ok ,” She told him. She shivered for a moment but ignored the sensation.

Sami sighed, his voice heavy and full of emotion. “It’s- I just -”

Sadie sat there silent, waiting for him to finish.

“The more we walked; The longer I’m around you? I guess it just took a bit to sink in what you did. You’re blind, nothing more than a fan, and yet you climbed into a destroyed building to save Kev. That's incredible. And you did it! You found him! You saved him. But really…”

He paused.

“If he had died back there? If he hadn’t made it? I wouldn’t have either. I can’t live without him, there’s no point in even trying. Yeah, we fight. We fight, we argue, we kiss, we make up, we love each other, and we start all over again the next day. But really, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Just having him in my life makes it worth living. In a way, I owe you both our lives. I owe you so much and I just met you. I don’t get it. This is new for me; I’m not usually like this. Trusting doesn’t come easy to me so when I say that I care... But yeah, I like you. I think you’re remarkable, really. Hell, I’m attached. You’re not my Kevin, but if something were to happen to either one of you, I swear I’d die and I- I don’t-”

He stopped and sniffled. Then, coughing a bit, he let out a pained laugh.

“Wow, I don’t know why I even told you all that. Just- forget what I said. Ignore me. I’m an idiot.”

Sadie smiled. “Ok. You’re an idiot. Ignoring you. Got it.”

He added, “And by the way. Don’t get mad that Kev didn’t say thank you. He’s not the best with thank you. He’ll get to it eventually. He always does, in his  own  way.”

There was so much adoration in Sami’s words that it made Sadie’s heartache. However, his comment reminded Sadie of a certain fact.

“Well, to be fair,” remarked Sadie, “you didn’t say thank you either. Not in those words, anyway.”

Sami’s voice pitched up. “Really? Oh. Sorry then; in that case, thanks. I mean it.”

Sadie nodded. “You know, I always knew you two had something special. I could just see it. The way you both looked at each other when in the ring together. The affection ,  t he smiles , and n ot to mention the kissing. I knew you were more than friends.  As I said, you broke the  gaydar long ago. Pinged it right off the scale.”

“Oh really? Right off the scale? It couldn’t have been that obvious, a re you sure you didn’t just have a tiny scale to begin with?” The sass in his voice was very evident. But it was  a  friendly sass. She could deal with friendly sass.

She smiled. “I’ve always dreamed of having someone care about me like that way; Having someone look at me like that. Even if it wasn’t love, I always wished I had a friend like you.”

Sami placed a soft hand on Sadie’s back.

“Guess what? Now you do.”

Sadie 's heart warmed. Her body, however, shivered again. Stronger than before, and for a longer spell.

This time Sami noticed.

“You’re getting chills, aren’t you?” he asked

Sadie nodded. “Yeah. Don’t know why. Maybe the temperature is dropping.”

Sami pressed his hand against her forehead for a moment, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her close, making sure not to touch her burned arm.

“Stay with me, kid,” he told her.

_ Still older than you, _ __ she thought, but said nothing, instead leaning into the affection, and resting her head  against him .


	5. Don't Toast the Earthquake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie has a dream that casts doubt on her chances of survival. Also, KO returns with some good news and directions to an aid station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as stated in previous chapters (which were fixed so that chapters 3 and 4 really were chapters 3 and 4) I'm rushing this to post because of personal reasons. As such, it is neither betaed nor proofread. What you see is what you get.
> 
> Also, I apologize for the religious interlude here, I am a Christian IRL and Christianity tends to infiltrate my dreams. I'm just writing this as the dream happened, more or less. So sorry if it isn't your thing.
> 
> Anyway, please let me know what you think. Comments and Kudos soothe the savage soul.

Sadie could see.

As she stood in the chapel of the small community church, Sadie couldn’t help but think of the church her family had attended in her youth. 

What was the name of that church? Word of Faith? Word of God? Word of…

Grace.

That’s what it was. Word of Grace Church.

She could sure use some grace right then, she thought.

At least, she thought she could? Maybe?

Sadie shook her head trying to extract the cobwebs. She couldn’t remember even going to a church let alone entering one. How had she gotten there?

Everything was a blur. 

She scratched absentmindedly at her left arm. For some reason , it felt odd, but when she looked down at it, it was fine.

A more pressing matter for her was the white dress she seemed to be wearing. Why on earth was she wearing a white… sundress? Is that what it was? Sadie did not speak normal clothes language, let alone ever wear them. Why the fuck was she in a church wearing white?

Maybe she should pray on it.

It was an odd thought, but looking towards the front of the chapel she saw there was one of those kneeler stations set up in front of a life - sized statue of Jesus looking upward – as though her arrival was expected and they had prepared a place for her in advance.

Sadie approached the station and knelt, folding her hands on the crossbar. She hadn’t personally been to church since she was a teenager and even then, had never been the best at spontaneous prayer. Nobody had ever picked her as one called for ministry, that was certain. But kneeling there in the chapel, she remembered the words of her religious mother all those years ago. 

“Just talk. Talk to Jesus like he’s your friend. He knows what’s in your heart.”

Sadie took a deep breath and began to pray.

“Dear most holy and sacred heavenly father.”

_ Like a friend… _

She began again, bowing her head this time.

“Hey , Jesus? Here’s the deal. I don’t know why I’m here today and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be asking for. But there’s some weird  shi \-  _ stuff _ going on and I’m confused and  scared, and I don’t know what to do. So, if you could maybe help a girl out here? Give me a sign? Anything?”

Tears began to creep into her eyes, but she didn’t know why. Something was weighing heavy on her. As they built up, she continued begging God for a sign, until gravity took hold and several tears fell from her face onto the carpeted floor.

The moisture no sooner soaked into the fabric when it erupted into a bright light. Sadie’s head jerked up as the light formed a trail from her tears to the statue, bursting into a blaze of illumination when it reached its mark. The light grew and grew, and suddenly, the statue of Jesus came to life. He dropped his eyes from the heavens and reached his hand out to the woman. As he did, her crying stopped and the wetness in her eyes instantly dried.

Sadie was in awe. Was the Lord really standing there in front of her? Her mouth fell agape as she thought of what to say, stammering several times before settling on two important but short questions.

“How?” she asked Jesus. “How, and why?”

The Lord answered, His voice soft, yet strong and filling Sadie’s soul with fiery hope.

“Come home, Sadie,” He said. “Come back to me.”

Sadie was not one to argue with God, but honestly, she had no recollection of even coming there in the first place. How would she go back to Christ when everything was a blur?

The light surrounding Jesus was getting brighter.

“Lord!” she called out. “How do I find you? Where?”

“In love, my child. Find me in love.”

“How? Whose love?”

The light was blinding now and was quickly overtaking Sadie’s entire field of vision.

“Ask,” she heard him reply. “Just ask, and I’ll be there"

The chapel, Jesus, and the rest of the world melted into white light, before fading sharply into darkness .

* * *

When Sadie opened her eyes once more, everything had returned to shadows.

She was still blind. Mostly blind anyway. Her hearing was sharp as ever though and at that moment she could hear the clear sounds of a lovers spat between Sami and Kevin. Surprisingly, they were arguing about her.

“No, Sami,” Kevin argued, “You can’t let her sleep. She could lapse into a coma and die.”

Sami snapped back “That’s a concussion, not a burn. She’ll be fine. Let her rest. She just needs to-”

“You know, if someone had thought to take the car, we’d have been there by now.”

“Fine, genius. You go back in time to the point right after I dug you out of an exploding building and remind me to take the car as I leave! Dammit, Kevin, I was PREOCCUPIED!”

“Yes, with me. Stop focusing on me and focus on her. She’s the one in trouble. Goddammit , Sami for once in your life PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT MATTERS!”

“But-” Sami tried to interrupt, but Kevin was on a roll.

“Why are you always arguing with me? Jesus, we’re supposed to be on vacation together and you still can’t keep from fighting me! One day, you can’t go one fucking day without drama. I swear to God you love it more than you love me!”

There was desperation in Kevin’s tone. Regardless, Sami just had to respond.

“Hey, I’m not the one who keeps stabbing me in the back month after month. As many chances as I’ve given you, I’ve installed a revolving door on my heart! And that door keeps turning and turning and turning...”

Kevin huffed, before replying. There was a quiet rage in his voice that was equal parts frightening and disturbing.

“You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you and fuck this bullshit earthquake...”

Sadie winced. Their argument had gotten personal. Any minute she expected them to come to their usual blows and brawling. Even as her mind was unclear and her body shuddering, she knew she had to intervene.

With as much force as she could muster, she shouted “Guys, GUYS! I’m awake.”

They stopped their confrontation mid-sentence and stared at her. After a moment, Kevin abruptly dropped down beside her.

“Sadie. Sadie, are you ok?” he asked, the fight instantly forgotten and replaced with concern for her wellbeing. “Talk to me.”

She nodded, although her brain wasn’t quite all there. She tried to physically shake the haze away, but she now had a degree of mind fog to accompany her foggy field of vision. Maybe she shouldn’t have been allowed to sleep.

Still, she didn’t want them to start arguing again.

“I’m fine,” she lied. It was a very unconvincing lie.

“The hell you are,” Kevin scoffed. “You’re shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. Sami, we’re  gonna have to try and wrap this wound. I don’t care if the bandage is dirty, she needs something, she’s losing fluids.

“Right,” Sami replied. “Take your shirt off.” 

“Me? Why me?” Kevin questioned.

“Because your shirt is bigger.”

“Yes, but it’s also dirtier. Buried in a building, remember? We use yours.”

Sami sighed and took his shirt off. 

“You look better with your shirt off anyway,” Kevin added. He took the shirt from his lover and shook it off a bit, trying to clear some of the dust. Then, he tore at it, trying to make bandages.

“Do- do you even know what you are doing?” Sami inquired.

“ Uhh ... I saw this in a movie once?”

“A movie?” 

“A couple movies?”

“Oh for fuck - here, give me that.” 

Sami crouched down and took the tattered shirt from Kevin. He tenderly wrapped the ripped shirt around Sadie’s arm, making sure to cover as much area as possible, but without putting undue pressure on it. After a few moments, he stepped back to admire his work.

“There you go. It’s not perfect, but it'll do.”

Sadie carefully moved her shaking, good arm to touch the wrapping. The shirt had been wrapped in a spiral down her arm, something akin to a giant ace bandage, with the top and bottom tucked inward. It was makeshift, but she didn’t feel quite so chilled anymore.

“Thanks,” she told Sami.

“You’re welcome,” Kevin responded.

“She didn’t thank you!” Sami hissed. Kevin responded by giving Sami the finger, something that thrilled Sadie when she realized she recognized the gesture.

“We agreed on later?” Sami snarked.

“Yeah, Later.”

“We’ll also finish our  _ conversation _ later.”

“No, we won’t,” replied KO bitterly.

Sadie drifted off into thought. God the bipolar of these two! The dynamic between them was unconventional , to say the least. As a member of many fandoms, she knew all the tropes - Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Oppositional Relationship, It’s  _ Complicated  _ \- was there even a setting for them? Was there a way to hit “All of the above” put it in a blender and hit puree’? Because now, with firsthand experience, she could honestly say their relationship was  one of a kind. It was equal parts affectionate, affable, angry, antagonistic, adorable , and well several other “A” words she couldn’t quite place just then.  Y ou could probably scan the damn dictionary and not come up with the one right word to describe their relationship.

Well, that might not be the best term, all things considered. “Relationship.” But she had started off thinking they were soulmates. Now, she certain they were, but of that friend  _ and _ foe, ever - changing wrestling variety.

_ Love. It’s a funny thing _ _ , _ __ she  mused deep inside h er head.

_ Nothing like dying to make you analyze shit _ .

With a sad heart, she remembered Lisa again. She hadn’t thought much of her throughout all this , but she still  hoped for the best.  She was resigned to never getting to share her feelings with  her roommate and hoped that, whenever they held her funeral, Lisa would  have it in her heart to attend. 

_ Would _ _ Lisa _ __ _ even care _ _? What about Christina, would she?  _

_ And Sami and Kevin. I just met  _ _ them; _ _ will they remember me when I’m gone? _ _ Do I even matter to them in the long run? _ __

_ W _ _ ill _ _ they cry for _ _ me _ _ when  _ _ I -? _

Still lost in her  inner psyche , Sadie felt herself be physically shaken back to reality.

“SADIE!” Sami shouted at her. “Sadie can you hear me!?”

She nodded. She didn’t feel like lying anymore. Her  mind was still functioning, but she was  sinking into it as the rest of her body failed her.

“Yeah, but I’m fading fast. I don’t know how much longer-”

“Shut up,” Kevin said fiercely, cutting her off. “You’re going to live. I found a way to a station where the medics are set up. We just need to get you there. It’s about six blocks ahead. You keep quiet and focus on not dying. We’ll do the rest.”

Sami stopped him.

“Kevin, the water,” he prodded.

“Oh, right. Here, I brought you this.”

Kevin reached into a bag behind him and pulled out a bottle of water. Cracking it open, he placed it to Sadie’s lips. She took a gentle swallow before sputtering and choking on it. It was wet, which was nice, but she hadn’t realized how parched she was, and it was a shock to her system. Also, not being able to control the flow herself made things difficult.

“Here,” she said, taking the bottle from him with her good hand. “I think I can...”

She took the bottle and took controlled sips.

_ There, _ __ she thought,  _ much better. _

After several swallows, she rested. She watched as Sami took a bottle for himself and began drinking.

“HEY!” Kevin grumbled, “that’s for Sadie.”

Sami scoffed. “Kev, there’s like, seven bottles here. She can’t drink all of it.”

“I-” Kevin began. Sadie cut him off.

“No, he’s right. Have some.”

On a whim, she weakly raised her bottle towards Sami.

“To the great quake of 2020,” she said dryly, before amending it, “better yet, to earthquakes, lovers, and newfound friends,” 

Sami’s face contorted.

“What the fuck?” he swore.

Kevin sighed.

“Don’t toast the earthquake, Sadie,” he told her.

“Sorry,” she replied, her voice pained. “Just trying to lighten the mood. Besides, that second part of the toast was for you two, not the quake.”

KO shook his head. “Save it. When this is all over and you’re healthy, we’ll all go out to dinner and have a toast then. Next time we’re in town, the three of us. In the meantime, finish your water.”

She did as she was told and handed the bottle back to Kevin.

“Now,” he said, “To get to the aid station. We just need to get you there before...”

Kevin trailed off. The implication of his words wasn’t lost on her or Sami, and the redhead took a big gulp of his water before nervously responding. 

“Yeah, but how? Kevin , how can we get her there? I don’t think she can walk anymore. How...” Sami pleaded. Unlike Kevin who always bottled his emotions until they fermented into rage, Sami was straightforward. You knew what he was feeling whether you wanted to or not. At that moment, it was fear.

Kevin let out an audible snort. “Like this.”

Suddenly, Sadie’s world shifted as she was swept off her feet by the larger man. He brought her up into his arms and held her there, making sure to keep her injured arm free on the outside.

Sami gasped and then sighed in  resignation .

“Why didn’t we think of that earlier, Luv?” he asked.

“It’s our first shaker. Let’s move.”

Sadie said nothing. She did as she was told and focused all her energy on not dying. At that point, she was certain she was a lost cause, but the determination of Kevin, combined with the concern of Sami gave her a modicum of hope. She was just grateful that she was light enough to carry, although she was cursing herself that she hadn’t thought of it earlier either. It wasn’t  _ her _ first earthquake; she should have known better. Maybe she was in shock after all.

As she was being carried towards the aid station, she remembered the dream she had had about Jesus. He had said to ask for him, and he’d be there. She hadn’t been to church in years and didn’t know any good prayers. But she remembered an approximation of the Our Father and offered it up the best she could. 

With as clouded as her mind was, she doubted He even heard it.


	6. Lights Out on Arlington Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is running out. With Sadie having lost substantial fluids and running a high fever, Kevin and Sami are rushing her to the aid station. But will it be enough? Will they reach their destination in time, and even if they do, can anything be done to help Sadie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here you go. The penultimate chapter. Again, I am rushing these, so sorry if there's any mistakes.
> 
> Also, a friendly reminder that this is based directly on a dream and thus employs dream logic. If this chapter or this story entirely doesn't make sense, that's why.
> 
> I want to thank anyone who has read this far and promise you it's almost over. I appreciate the support I've gotten for this and it's tempting me to post some of my other... less desired fics as well. (Although that's unlikely.)

By the time they neared the aid station, Sadie was a mess. She knew she had a high fever, and her entire body was quaking in KO’s arms. She was grateful that he had such a firm grip on her, but she felt like death warmed over and feared the warmed part was going to turn cold at any minute.

T o even reach the aid station, the three of them had had to circumvent several large fires. It felt like it’d taken ages even with Kevin carrying her. Her eyes were working much better now with most objects coming through with clarity. That said, she was developing a nasty case of tunnel vision which indicated to her that she was going into shock. 

With no small effort, she surveyed the landscape. They were somewhere around the  Arlington Heights area, with most of the buildings and homes intact. However, the fire was gaining on them and the firefighters were having trouble controlling the inferno. She wondered what her city would look like when the smoke had cleared. She’d just been a child during the  1994 Northridge  Quake and, while the memory of it was chiseled into her brain, the images had faded with time. She couldn’t be sure if this one was bigger or not, but she figured it was. Most Californian buildings were designed against collapse. The fact that both  she and the two superstars’ lodgings had suffered massive structural failure pointed to an intensity she’d never experienced before.

_ Was this the big one? _ __ She wondered silently.  _ Could this have been it?  _

_ More importantly, am I going to survive this? _

_ What happens if I die? I’m not Christian, if there’s a heaven do I even have a shot at reaching it? Oh God, Oh God... _

“Sadie,” Kevin’s voice brought her once more out of her  thoughts .

She tried to respond, but her voice wasn’t working. Instead, she let out a soft whine of acknowledgment.

“Sadie, you stay with me, please. We’re almost there. You’re  gonna be ok.”

His voice sounded tinny and distant. She was going to die.

Sami ran ahead, shouting for help and waving his arms, calling out “Hey! Hey, we need some help here!” 

From her curled position, Sadie saw the aid station about 100 feet ahead. Kevin’s pace sped up and the distance was closed quickly. He placed her gingerly on the ground and a pair of Triage Medics looked her over – forty-five seconds, no more – before getting back up and starting to move on.

“What, why aren’t you helping her?!” Kevin snarled at them as they walked away. They waved him off and gave no response.

Sami, roughly taking Kevin by the arm, motioned towards Sadie’s good arm.

“They red-tagged her. She’s supposed to be immediate care. Why – they ca – I mean – why won’t they – we should have -”

Sami’s frantic stammering was doing nothing for her peace of mind. She’d always hoped to die calmly, not in a panic. But as  the  world slowly melted around her, she realized it wasn’t up to her. The clarity her  consciousness had enjoyed up until that point began to falter and  awareness of h er surroundings  was descending into static.

With all her remaining strength, she reached her good arm towards her new friends.

“Sami...” she cried weakly.

He was at her side in a heartbeat, her good hand taken into his own. Kevin had wandered off to go bitch at the paramedics, but at least Sami was with her.

“Kid,” he said softly, “Kid, hang in there. Come on. They’re coming back, they’re going to get you fixed up and...”

She squeezed his hand. With her dry, dehydrated lips, she mouthed a single word.

“Pray”

For a moment, she saw the confusion on Sami’s face. In her hollowed mind, she remembered he was Muslim, but she didn’t care. As it turned out, neither did he.

He pulled her body into his arms and in a hushed tone began to pray in Arabic. Sadie’s mind calmed. She didn’t have a hope of understanding, and even if he’d been speaking English, her mind was so obscured she’d still likely have lost the meaning. But it was still the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard and she focused her  last  ounce of  energy on  listening to  its  soft , smooth tones. But t he  scene around her soon darkened and as the tunnel of her vision narrowed and the  beautiful sound turned to silence , she closed her eyes for a moment before taking one last look up at Sami Zayn.

She could see him perfectly.

There were tears in his eyes, but his face was kind. He must have realized she was looking at him because she stopped praying and returned her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she saw him say.

She tried to smile but failed. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

And then there was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the downer ending! There's an epilogue that I hope helps though.
> 
> Oh, and when I died in the dream, I awoke in my bed. I very rarely die in my dreams though, so that was an odd change from the norm.
> 
> It should be noted: I have no concept of California geography. I've never even been to LA let alone to Arlington Heights. I don't have any idea where or what Arlington Heights looked like, but due to the issues I listed in a previous note about how this story was supposed to be set in San Fransisco, this chapter was originally titled "Lights Out in Monterey Heights" with Monterey Heights fitting the description of what I wanted the final setting to be. So, when I changed the city, I changed the name. It's still a reference to "In The Heights", so there's that.
> 
> Anyway, stay tuned for the epilogue!


	7. Epilogue - Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadie's time is up. Even the best efforts of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens couldn't save her. But it isn't a tragic ending after all. Even in death, there is still hope.
> 
> It's time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for this. This part isn't from the dream, but the previous part that tied into it was so I finished the thought on my own. Also, as stated before, this isn't fully refined so sorry if the quality isn't that of the previous chapters.
> 
> Christian Shanie strikes again. 
> 
> See the end notes for final thoughts.

She was floating. 

She watched as the bustle and commotion of the aid station lingered below her. She saw her body lying on the ground, her red tag now changed to black. Beside her fallen form, she saw Kevin and Sami standing embraced. Sami had his face buried into KO’s shoulder while Kevin’s arms were wrapped tightly around his lover. She could hear Sami’s distraught sobs and in the tiniest, mousiest voice she had ever heard Kevin Owens use, she heard him speak. 

“I... I never said thank you” 

In her ghostly state, she smiled at him. 

“Kevin, you just did,” she told him. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but she wanted to say it anyway. 

Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and there, in all His glory, was the Lord. She was confused. 

“But how?” she questioned. “I didn’t ask. You said to ask, and I didn’t, I couldn’t...” 

Jesus smiled. 

“He did,” He replied, nodding downward towards Sami. 

Sadie’s brow creased. Sami was a Muslim. Had he prayed to Jesus? Certainly, there was some sort of religious law against that. 

“He prayed to you?” she asked. 

“No, but we got the message. Come, child.” 

She turned one last time to look down at her newfound friends. She had told Sami that she wanted someone to care for her as Sami cared for Kevin. She knew that in the brief span she had known him, there was no way his heart was open to her as it was his lover. But she couldn’t help but think that she had found some spot to exist in there; that, even now, there was a part of Sami Zayn’s heart that would forever be reserved for her. It was a nice enough thought anyway. 

She returned her attention to the Lord and took His outstretched hand. 

“I’m ready,” she told Him. 

“Let’s go home, Sadie.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to take this chance to note some differences between the raw dream and the story!
> 
> \- I know it seems weird for me, as a sighted woman, to dream of being blind, but it happens more than you'd think. The status of my sight throughout this dream, as well as my means of viewing the dream world around me, are pretty close to directly from the dream itself, with the part in the basement at the start, and the last sight I saw being straight from the dream itself.  
> \- In the dream, Sami was with me when I died, but we never made it to the aid station. We almost did, but not quite and Kevin had run ahead to try and get the medics to come to me. It didn't work out so well, and I died without Kevin nearby (which translated into the scene in the story).  
> \- Dialogue usually doesn't transition so well from the sleep state to awake with me, just notions of what was said. So most of the specific dialogue you see here is consciously created from outlines I had remaining from the dream itself.  
> \- That said, the bit about Sami speaking Arabic was straight from the dream. Naturally, I don't speak the language, so in the dream, it likely was just doubletalk, but he was definitely praying in Arabic at the end and yes it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.
> 
> That about covers it. I hope you've all enjoyed (or at least tolerated) my little foray into Zowens-land. I've gone hard for this ship and I have tumblr to thank for it (you know who you are...) I do have a boatload more of these dreamfics in various states of writing, but have no real desire to post them. This is one of the few stories that's remotely Kayfabe Compliant so I don't think many people would have an interest in the rest.
> 
> Anyway, thank's again for reading!
> 
> Peace, Love, Shane O Mac, and Zowens!


End file.
